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Roasted Eggplant Caponata Recipe

La Faguette
Sweet and savory, crunchy and munchy, cheesy and toasty. Sounds great, I'll have that.
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Sicilian
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • cup pine nuts
  • 1 large eggplant (about 1-1½ pounds)
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 1 medium to large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium to large orange bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
  • 2 celery stalks*, minced
  • ¼ cup green olives, roughly chopped
  • 1 - 6oz can tomato paste
  • ¼ cup whole golden raisins
  • ¼ cup whole capers, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped and packed
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper

FOR SERVING!

  • 1 - 2 loaves rustic bread
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz goat cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pine nuts on a cookie sheet and, once preheated, toast on middle rack for 3 minutes. We want them to sweat a little to release their juices. Careful, they go from sweaty to burnt real quick!
  • While you're pine nutting (fuck yeah!), cut the ends off your eggplant and peel it so it's striped (see below, I used a medium and a small). Then, cube it into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread them on a greased cookie sheet.
  • When pine nuts are done, set them aside and turn oven up to 400°F. Place eggplant on middle rack and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until flaccid and slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, set a large pot over medium-low heat. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and allow to heat up.
  • Dump into the pot your red onion, red and orange bell peppers, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and sauté until onion is translucent, 10-15 minutes. Stir often with a nice, big, hard wooden spoon.
  • Add garlic, celery, and green olives and cook for 2 minutes. Then, toss in your roasted eggplant!
  • Plop tomato paste onto everything and mix until it's all evenly incorporated. Stir in golden raisins, capers, mint, and your lightly toasted pine nuts.
    We're gonna make the agrodolce next (red wine vin/water/sugar combo) so you can leave the pot alone for a bit, just remember to stir every now and again so nothing burns!
  • Next, grab your ankles. HAHAHA JK!!! (kind of). In a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl, add the red wine vinegar, water, and sugar. Microwavé for 2 minutes and then stir mixture until sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Pour about half of the agrodolce into the veg medley, stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • I LOVE mine on the sweeter side, so I end up using about ¾ of the agrodolce. But add as much as you like and continue to adjust seasoning until you're happy!
  • Once you've got it tasting like you want it to, turn the heat down to low and cook for half an hour, stirring every so often.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
  • IMPORTANT!: caponata is very much like a chili in that it only gets better with time. I will make this 1-2 days in advance before I serve it! Then, about an hour before you're ready to serve it, remove it from the fridge and let it sit out so that it's cool but not ice cold.

FOR SERVING!

  • In a large bowl, place ricotta and goat cheese. Drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Whisk or mix with a hand mixer until smooth and spreadable. You may need to add more olive oil. Season to taste with salt and lots of black pepper. This can be made up to a day in advance. Store covered in the fridge.
  • Slice bread as thick or thin as you want it. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides with olive oil. Heat a large pan/griddle/or the grill over medium heat and toast both sides well. Using a toaster does NOT get the same flavor as this!!!

THE BUILD!

  • Grab that bread > shmear on da cheese > top with a lotta caponata! Holy fuck this shit is ADDICTIVE!!!

Notes

*  The only part of the celery you want to use is the middle, so cut off the top leafy part and the bottom white part!
Keyword best eggplant caponata recipe, best italian appetizers, easy appetizers, easy spreads, roasted eggplant, sweet and savory, vegetarian appetizers, whipped goat cheese
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